http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/225556-poll-50-percent-say-gop-majority-bad-for-countryDecember 01, 2014, 07:36 am
Poll: 50 percent say GOP majority is bad
By Peter Sullivan
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Half of the public says that Republican control of Congress will be bad for the country and cause more gridlock, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.
The poll finds that 50 percent of adults say Republican control of the House and Senate will be bad for the country, compared to 44 percent who say it will be good.
Fifty-two percent say there will be more gridlock with a Republican Congress, while just 9 percent say there will be less. Thirty-seven percent say there will be no difference.
The public has a more negative view of Republican gains this November than it did of other recent midterm elections. A majority, 52 percent, thought it was good for the country when Republicans took over the House in 2010. An even larger percentage, 67 percent, thought it was good for the country when Democrats took over Congress in 2006 amid the unpopularity of President George W. Bush.
The country appears frustrated with both congressional Republicans and President Obama when it comes to gridlock, but more so with Republicans.
Fifty-seven percent say Obama is not doing enough to work with Republicans, while 68 percent say Republicans are not doing enough to work with him.
As Republicans consider attaching measures fighting Obama's immigration executive actions to spending bills, the possibility of a government shutdown looms again. Republicans appear set to take the blame, as some in the party have warned. Fifty-percent say they would blame Republicans for a shutdown, and just 33 percent say they would blame Obama.
The threat of another shutdown comes as Republicans have dug out of the hole from last year's. The Republican Party's favorability is up to 41 percent, from 30 percent last October, and is just 3 points lower than Democrats' rating.
